Steering apparatus for sleds.



No. 642,!24. Paiented- Jan. 30, I900. J. HULDSWURTH.

STEERING APPARATUS FUR SLEDS.

(Application filed June L2, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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r'rhio STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSHUA IIOLDSIVORTII, OF WOONSOOKET, RHODE ISLAND.

STEERING APPARATUS FOR SLEDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,124, dated January30, 1900. Application filed June 12, 1899. Serial No. '720,31'7.- (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSHUA HOLDSWORTH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Woonsocket, in the county of Providence and State of RhodeIsland,have invented a new and useful Steering Apparatus for Sleds, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates generally to sleds, and more particularly tosteering apparatus therefor, the object of the invention being toprovide animproved apparatus of simple, cheap, durable, and efficientconstruction, adapted for ready attachment to all kinds of sleds,whereby the course of travel of the sled can be governed with rapidityand precision without the necessity of applying the feet of the occupantto the ground.

With this object in view my invention consists in the improvedconstruct-ion, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter fullydescribed and afterward specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention mostnearly appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed todescribe its construction and operation, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, in which Figure 1 is aperspective view of a sled equipped with steering apparatus constructedin accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, theposition of the shaft being partly indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 3 isan inverted perspective view of the rubber-holding box detached, thehandle-lever being broken away. Fig. i is a detail perspective view ofthe rubber detached. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation thereof.

Like numerals of reference indicate the same parts wherever they appearin the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 6 6 indicate the runners, and 7the top, of a sled of any ordinary construction. Secured in and passingthrough the runners at or near their mid-length is a' shaft 8,projecting beyond the runners at each side and serving as points for thepivotal attachment of a handlever 9 on each side, said levers beingprevented from slipping off the shaft by any suitable means. The sockets10, in which the ends of the shaft are secured, are punched out of themetal of the levers, which are preferably made of heavy sheet metal andformed at their rear ends into boxes 11 to receive rubbers 12. Therubbers are made of any suitable size and material, are provided withteeth 14 on their under surfaces, and are cut away on each side to formribs 15 to receive the curled under side edges 16 of the box. The metalof the box is also turned down at the rear, forming flanges 17 toprevent the rubbers sliding out of place rearwardly.

18 indicates stops secu red in the runners on each side near the frontto serve as rests for the forward ends of the levers to prevent themfrom dropping or being pushed into contact With the earth, snow, or ice,and the levers are normally held down upon the stops by springs 19, inthis instance illustrated as rubberbands, although other styles ofsprings may be used to prevent the forward ends rising and dragging therubbers.

In practical operation, by the raising of the forward ends of thelevers, the rubbers will be brought into more or less violent contactwith the snow or ice on which the sled is running, and the applicationof either rubber will cause the course of the sled to be turned to thatside.

The levers, including the rubber-holding boxes, as before stated, may beeasily and cheaply made of heavy sheet-iron, the sockets for the shaftbeing punched out, and when the box and rubber are constructed asdescribed the rubber when worn down may be slid out at the front and anew one slid into its place, so that with ordinary use the rubbers willbe the only parts needing to be renewed. 7

While I have illustrated and described what I consider to be the bestmeans now known to me for carrying out my invention, I do not wish to beunderstood as restricting myself to the exact forms of constructionshown, as many slight changes therein or variations therefrom mightsuggest themselves to the ordinary mechanic, all of which would beclearly included within the limit and scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The herein-described rubber consisting of a block of suitablematerial, provided with teeth on its under surface and hollowed out onits sides forming attaching-ribs, substantially as described.

2. The herein-described rubber consisting of a block of suitablematerial, provided with teeth on its under surface and hollowed out onits sides forming attaching-ribs in combination with a holder or boxprovided with downwardly-turned under sides embracing the ribs, and arear downwardly-turned flange to prevent rearward displacement,substantially as described.

A lever for steering apparatus for sleds, provided with a horizontalsocket to engage over a shaft and a rubber-holding box havingdownwardly-turned under sides and a downwardly-turned rear end flange,substantially as described.

4. The combination with a sled of a shaft extending horizontally throughthe runners with its ends projecting beyond them, of le vers providedwith rubbers, and journaled on the ends of the shaft, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination with a sled, of a shaft extending horizontallythrough the runners with its ends projecting beyond them, of levers,provided with sockets journaled on the shaft ends, boxes carried at therear ends of JOSHUA HOLDSVVORTH.

Witnesses:

HENRY G. HUBBARD, GEORGE MASON.

